Science: Mercury's Magnetism

The tiny craft had been in space for 16 months and was nearly out of
steering fuel. Yet flight controllers at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory last week managed to keep Mariner 10 alive and performing
well through its third and closestencounter with the solar system's
innermost planet. As it passed only 200 miles above Mercury's scorched
surface, the half-ton robot swooped over the planet's north polar
region, sent back some 300 closeup pictures and confirmed a puzzling
fact-that Mercury has an innate magnetic field

Close Look. The four-hour flyby was an unexpected bonus at the end of an
already successful $100 million...